1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and system of generating energy from compressed fluids, and in particular, to providing a method and system to compress and store a fluid and create electrical energy or other types of useful energy.
2. Description of the Prior Art
While solar power may be the most widely known natural energy source, there is also the potential to obtain energy from moving air and other moving fluids. Windmills, for example, have been built in many areas of the country where the wind frequently blows. As the wind blows against the windmills, rotational power is created and then coupled through various types of transmissions to drive generators to generate electricity. This energy is often used to supplement energy produced by utility power plants.
One drawback to using wind as an energy source, however, is that the wind does not always consistently blow at the same speed, i.e., it is not always reliable and predictable. While attempts have been made in the past to store energy produced by wind so that it can be used during peak demand periods, and when little or no wind is blowing, these past systems have failed to be implemented in a commercially practical manner. Past attempts have also had difficulties in reducing the energy inefficiencies (e.g., energy losses in the mechanical transmissions to the electrical generators, and so forth) inherent in using wind as a source for energy on a continuous and uninterrupted basis.
Most populated areas of the country have adequate electrical power generating and back-up systems, such as those provided by local utility companies, and distributed by large electrical power grids. Locally generated electricity from alternative energy sources such as wind power and other types of moving fluids can be connected into these large electrical power grids for payment or later electricity exchange with conventional sources.
In some remote areas of the country, however, electrical power is not always readily available, and other efforts must be made to obtain the needed power. For example, people who live high up in the mountains, or people who live in areas that are remote from the nearest electrical power grid, often have difficulty obtaining power. The cost of running overhead or underground cables from the nearest electrical power grid to service these types of remote locations can be prohibitively high.
Notwithstanding these problems, because wind and other sources of moving fluids are a significant energy resource that will never disappear, there is a need to develop a system that can not only harness the power generated by wind and other sources of moving fluids to provide electrical power, but to do so in a practical manner, to enable these alternative forms of energy to be supplied even to remote locations on a continuous and uninterrupted basis, i.e., as a primary energy source, using means for storing the fluid energy in an effective manner so that it can be used efficiently during peak demand periods, even when little or no fluid energy is naturally available at the time of energy need.
In view of the foregoing, what is needed is an improved method and system to compress and store a fluid and create electrical energy or other types of useful energy with a very high energy conversion efficiency.